They’ve mostly been painted over or blocked out of sight by newer, flashier signs. But these artifacts from an older New York refuse to be silenced.

On Broadway and 181st Street is a big corner bodega called Smile Deli. But lurking underneath the green awning is the 1970s-esque 181st Street Food Market sign, with its old-school 7-Up logo.

I have no idea how far back this sign for a Hebrew bookstore goes. It looks like the place, on Ludlow Street, was abandoned, the sign left to deteriorate.

The Hello Deli on West 53rd Street, made famous by David Letterman who tapes his show around the corner, had a previous incarnation as the Preview Sandwich Shop. I love the 1960s typeface.

Above the sign for Bite, at 211 East 14th Street, is the faded lettering for what looks like a locksmith or hardware store. “We make keys names plates and mail boxes” it tells us. But there’s no name or other clue to its history.

So why not turn to other state names when it comes to naming your deli/grocery/bodega? Kentucky isn’t all that far from New York. Or perhaps the owners of this Avenue D establishment were trying to make a point about how much distance lies between their store and the center of Manhattan.

Calling your shop the Alaska Food Market at least implies that the beer and soda will always be ice-cold. It’s in Chelsea on lower Ninth Avenue.

There are more of these circa-9/11 delis and pizza places than I ever thought. Perhaps the owners truly got caught up in the sentiment of the time, or maybe they just wanted to make sure no one accused them of being Muslim terrorists.